The Indians of the Enchanted Valley

One autumn, in the valley, a great fire broke out and raged so violently that the Indians of the tribe could not extinguish it. In desperation, they sent a request for help to Man of Ice, a great man of magic who lived in the north. Man of Ice did not answer with a prayer. Instead, he simply removed his crown of feathers from his head, undid his long braids and shook his thick hair. The amazed messengers noticed an unexpected breeze blow across his face. He shook his hair again and it began to rain: the; the rain changed to hailstones and then to snow.

The messengers returned to their valley where the fire was still burning. The Indians stared helplessly at the fearful sight from the surrounding hills. They knew what the messengers had seen but were afraid that their request had been made in vain.

A few days later, a strong wind blew up, but it served only to fan the flames still further. The rain which followed only caused damp clouds of vapour to form: but then the hail, which drove the Indians to find shelter far off put out the flames and, finally, snow fell and covered even the ashes. Slowly the snow melted and when, at the start of spring, the Indians returned to their home, they discovered a beautiful lake where the fire had raged.